


Piece by Piece

by IAmStoryteller



Series: Valentines' Day 2017 [5]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: Arora-chichou | Alola, Feelings Realization, Gen, Love Confessions, M/M, Red has talking to strangers anixety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-24 02:29:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9695705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IAmStoryteller/pseuds/IAmStoryteller
Summary: It’s been a long time coming, Red realized.





	

**Author's Note:**

> In my headcanon, even though I know it's not popular, Red isn't mute. He just doesn't like to talk much. Red was always my favorite protagonist because even though I write a lot, I'm not much of a talker myself...like even though I might have been projecting...so Red only talks to people that he's comfortable and close with...
> 
> Red and Leaf are cousins.

The Battle Tree was still as warm and humid as the rest of the island. Red was actually starting to get uncomfortably warm. He looked over at Green who was playing with Eevee. Red sighed. He should have bought some shorts like Green. At least his best friend was doing okay in the heat. 

“This is what you get for living up in the frozen tundra for four years,” said Green, smirking in his cocky way. Red rolled his eyes. Green never failed to make a lot of Red’s quirks the fault of Mt. Silver, even if Red was eccentric enough before running off to Mt. Silver. Red stopped living on the frozen mountain when he was fifteen, after Gold managed to finally beat him in a battle. Unceremoniously, for a while, Red lived part-time at his mom’s house and part-time at Green’s apartment above the Viridian City Gym. Eventually, as the two patched up their relationship, Red wound up living at Green’s full-time. “Man, when are we going to get some challengers? This is boring as fuck.”

“Patience is virtue,” Red reminded Green. Green scoffed.

“Says you, the most impulsive guy that I know,” said the green-eyed, brown spiky hair 20 year old Gym Leader. As always, Green spoke emphatically with his hands. “The 10 year old who decided to rush after a pissed-off genetically engineered Pokemon. Or the guy who decided to take down Team Rocket just because.”

Red snickered. “You’re just mad that I caught Mewtwo before you got a chance.”

“Asshole,” muttered Green, throwing up his arms in the air. 

“Takes one to know one,” replied Red, simply. Green made some sort of disgruntled sound and Red knew that he won this little contest. Just because the two of them have become the best of friends once again, there was still a rivalry. These days it was mostly over petty things because they spend way too much time together, living together, and going on adventures together. Any of their bitterness towards each other that they had at the end of their journey when they were kids disappeared while Red was on Mt. Silver and Green became Viridian City Gym Leader. For some people distance made such things worse, for the two lifelong friends, it just proved what they hadn’t wanted to admit when they were 10—that they could function properly without each other.

Red and Green needed to grow up into somewhat mature young men without the other. Leaf always said that they were too dependent on each other before the Pokemon journey and when Red decided that he wanted to go out on his own without Green, Green was hurt and pissed and lashed out. They were always chasing each other during that journey—Red to get Green to keep paying attention to him and Green to get Red to keep chasing him.

“Look it! It’s Red and Green,” shouted an excitable young boy’s voice in Alolan (Red and Green both had a crash course in the language, even if a lot of people also knew Kantoian). Red and Green perked up. They were finally getting some challengers. These days, neither minded that they were known as “Red-and-Green, champions” and not “Red the Pokemon Master and his former rival Green, the Viridian City Gym Leader.” 

Red put his trained stoic face on when facing other trainers, except Green and Leaf. Green rolled his eyes as the three kids approached them. Red had always kept up-to-date on upcoming trainers—Moon the first Victor of the Alolan Pokemon League and her two friends Sun and Hau, all young, bright-eyed, eager trainers. Even though he was only 20, Red kind of felt a little bit ancient in comparison.

He tuned out Green introducing them to the kids and didn’t respond when Green addressed him. “…”

“Still as silent as ever, eh?” Green was just teasing him.

Red talked. Red just didn’t like talking to strangers, even if they were a bunch of over-eager kids. He was never completely comfortable with conversation. Yes, he talked to his mom, Prof. Oak, Daisy, Leaf and eventually Gold. The only one that he truly ever spoken without it being forced was Green, because frankly, if Red didn’t want to talk, Green could carry both sides of their conversation. They were that much on the same wavelength.

He was a naturally quiet person. He wasn’t overly shy, but sometimes, he just didn’t want to talk. During his journey, there were so many strangers, that Red constantly clammed up and soon got the reputation for being a silent, stoic trainer. It was fine with him. He communicated without words with his Pokemon during battles, it helped to unnerve the other trainers.

Moon wanted to battle Green. Sun wanted to battle Red. Hau suggested a two-on-two battle. Green laughed. “Ah, sorry, kiddos. Me and this guy here are kind of permanently banned from teaming up in tournaments.” Red forced himself not to smile at the reaction out of the kids, who were clearly impressed.

Red remembered the Champions Tournament a few years ago where Red and Green curb-stomped battled everyone, including fellow champions Hoenn’s Sapphire and Unova’s Touko. There were tears shed by a lot of people.

Green and Moon battled first. Of course, neither Green nor Red were using their complete team—just three Pokemon each. It was the only way to be fair. Green won, which Red expected, but Moon put up a strong fight. She will only get better with time.

Red battled Sun, who was a nervous wreck, and tripped over his words. He felt bad for the kid, so he went easy on him. Red still won, of course. Red went over to the kid and patted him on the head. “Good job, keep training.” It was all he could manage before his talking-to-strangers anxiety kicked in. However, it made the boy’s day.

Green offered to share some of the food they brought with the kids. With an impromptu picnic, Pikachu and Eevee soaked up the attention that the kids were piling on them. Red just shook his head at Pikachu. Green talked as much as Hau and Moon, all three going on and on about the Alolan forms of Kanto Pokemon. Sun nervously wrung his hands, but didn’t talk, just watched, like Red.

“Man, I think I watched your championship battle like forty times,” said Hau. Red and Green both knew that their battle at the Pokemon League years ago was taped for proof and reasons concerning the Elite Four needed to raise funds. Naturally, they were going to sell the shit out of stuff concerning the two prodigal kids who stormed the League. Lance was a wily bastard like that, but he had to be when Red and Gold refused to do paperwork as they were the actual champions. “Man, it was so epic!”

“Yeah, that was a pretty tough battle,” said Green.

“I bet,” said Moon, piping in her opinion, “That if you two battled now, it would be even more epic.”

“Of course, we’re that awesome,” said Green, smirking. Red and Green battle each other for fun and training nearly constantly. Red always won, but always just barely.

“Will battle each other for us? We can learn so much from you two,” said Moon and Hau, at the same time. Green looked over at him. Red nodded his head, indicating it was fine with him. 

“Alright, then…Yo, Red, we probably shouldn’t do it up here, though. We might bring the whole thing down,” said Green, worried about the state of the Battle Tree. Red nodded, quickly. Their battles tended to get crazy, so usually they had to battle in the middle of nowhere (most of the time, they had to go to Victory Road or the base of Mt. Silver, Dragon’s Den, Cerulean Cave and other such locations). Hau announced that he knew a perfect place.

Once relocated to an untouched beach, the battle between Red and Green began. They never used any less than their strongest teams against each other, unless they were training a new specific Pokemon, then it was less serious of a battle. Red started with Lapras and Green started with Alakazam.

As always, it was an epic back and forth battle. Green was the only one that made Red feel this excited in battle, no one could compare to the intensity he felt when battled his best friend and greatest rival. Not even Leaf or Gold made him feel this way and Red always had fun battling them. The years of battles between Green and Red said to their experience and how well they knew each other.

It came down to, ironically, their Blastoise. The thing that people didn’t know was that after that grand championship battle, Leaf made the two shake hands and make nice with each other by doing a trade. (His cousin Leaf was a force of nature that neither boy could ever fight against). The Blastoise that Red carried with him was originally Green’s and the Blastoise that Green carried was originally Red’s.

Pikachu was his starter, but Squirtle was a hard-won catch because he chose to come with Red. He raised that Squirtle into a Wartortle and finally into a Blastoise. He trusted him as much as Pikachu and that’s why he knew that, maybe out of concern and maybe out of selfishness, Red wanted to really have a Pokemon that he raised be with Green. He knew that Green would be good to it, despite what Prof. Oak may have thought about Green.

“Battle of the Blastoise, huh? This is should be interesting,” said Green, grinning, enjoying their battle. Red knew that he had a grin on his face too. So much for his silent, stoic hero image. “Don’t go easy, just because you love Red, Blastoise.” Red’s former Pokemon sent Green an annoyed look, which read ‘what do you take me for?’

Green’s former Pokemon had been tough to get through at first, but Green’s former Blastoise was less a sarcastic, sassy creature than Red’s former and more stoic and tough. 

“Same for you,” said Red, out-loud for once. He got an annoyed snort in return.

It was a close match, but as Red returned his (and Green’s) Blastoise, he wasn’t upset. He was proud that Green beat him. Red always knew that Green was the one that made him a better trainer, because Green kept Red on his toes. Thank Arceus that he had his cap, because he wasn’t going to show those three kids (who went bonkers with the conclusion of the battle, even Sun) that he was smiling.

Green was more shocked than anything, though he was hugged Blastoise. Red walked over to the two. He patted the Pokemon, proud of him. “I’ll win next time.” Green was close enough to know that Red was smiling and not upset, which was good. Things had been too good between them to get weird now.

Snapping out of his shock, Green said, “I finally beat you after ten years of you trouncing me! Hah! I really can’t believe it.”

“I can,” Red responded, but before he could say more, the three kids descended on them with questions and remarks.

And of course, “MR. RED TALKS?!”

Once their day at the Battle Tree was done, Red and Green returned to Samson Oak’s house, where the two were staying. Green recounted the battles of the days to his grandfather’s brother, while the three ate dinner. Samson was a much more cheerful person than Prof. Oak. He listened in attention.

After dinner, Red and Green called the Viridian City Gym on video chat, because Gold was supposed to be taking care of it for Green. Because of the time difference, it was already morning in Kanto. Gold answered the video chat.

“Oi, when the hell are you two coming back?! It’s so freaking boring running a gym,” whined Gold. “How’s Alola? You two losers pick up any cute girls…GACK!” Gold was shoved out of the way so that Leaf appeared.

“Ignore him, he’s being troublesome,” said Leaf, grinning. “Green, the tan looks good on you. Red, you’re still as white as ever. Cous, are you even going outside?”

“I am, shut up,” replied Red.

Green snickered. Red playfully punched him in the shoulder. “Guess what, Leaf?! I beat Red in a battle today!”

“What, no way, how great for you, Green! Best of luck next time, little cousin,” said Leaf, grinning. “Oi, Silver, don’t chase Gold with that…Ugh, talk to you guys tomorrow, be safe and don’t get into trouble.” They were hung up on by Leaf, who had to wrangle their younger trainer friends.

Red and Green just traded looks. “Let’s home the gym’s still standing when we get back.”

Green sighed. “Yeah, I hope.”

Later that night, Red was struck with insomnia, which was not unusual for him. He found himself on the roof of Samson’s house, star-gazing. Or pretending to at least. Red was tired but sleep didn’t come to him. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that Green was sleeping peacefully on the bed across the room that Samson lent them and not in the same bed with Red.

Red logically knew that it wasn’t normal for two best friends of the same gender to sleep in the same bed, but they did, back home. Green’s apartment only had one room, one bed, and Green refused to let Red sleep on the couch and there was no way in hell that Red was making Green take the couch. It wasn’t like they never shared a bed before, but before they were just boys on sleepovers with their best friend. It was different now that they had been doing it for five years and they were twenty now.

It was days and nights like these—which Green did something awesome, or amazing, or amazingly simply sweet that had Red cursing that he actually had feelings. Red sighed. It’s been a long time coming, Red realized.

After today though, the look on Green’s face when it set in that he beat Red in a battle, Red had a name for the feelings that he had been long since been denying. Red was in love with his best friend. Red loved Green. Red rubbed his eyes.

“Can’t sleep,” Green asked, joining him suddenly on the rooftop.

“You were sleeping,” said Red, confused.

“Ah, I woke up briefly and you weren’t there.”

“Oh.”

Green’s biggest fear was that Red was going to up and disappear again. Green never said it out loud, but Red knew. It wasn’t something that was going to go away any time soon.

After a few moments of silence, Greens spoke, “You’ll probably beat me next time.”

“Oh, I’m not worried,” retorted Red, grinning. Green snorted and playfully whacked Red in the shoulder. “Seriously, I just can’t sleep.”

“Miss me,” asked Green, cheekily. Red wished that he was wearing his cap, because he knew that his pale face went red.

“Che, you wish,” said Red. Green just laughed at him, cheeks red in amusement (and maybe some embarrassment) and blue eyes sparkling in the night. Green was right—Red was impulsive. He blurted out, “Wanna keep spending the rest of our lives together?”

Silence. “You proposing to me, Red?” 

“Maybe.”

“We already are, you jerk, you know that right? There’s no one else that I’d rather spend the rest of my life with. It always been you.” Red knew it. In his heart, he knew it. But he needed to hear the words. That Green wanted to be with him, not because of any reason other than he wanted to be with Red because he was Red and Red was enough.

Red leaned over and kissed him on the mouth. 

“I should have done that years ago,” commented Red, smiling. Green looked stunned, but then grinned, grabbed Red and kissed him again.

“Yeah, you really should’ve,” replied Green, kissing Red again. Red grinned. They had all the time in the world to make up for lost time, as they kissed under the great Alolan sky.

-`-`-`-`

(Back Home)  
(Gold won the betting pool—he made a massive amount of money).  
(Red’s mom cried, she was so happy).  
(Red punched Gold after Gold asked who was top and who was bottom).  
(Green had to stop Daisy and Leaf from planning a wedding right then and there).  
(All Professor Oak said was “finally”).


End file.
